Tom Ferry: 'When hands go up, I feel like we're winning'

Age: 44

Job title: Co-owner and CEO, Tom Ferry – Your Coach

Location: Irvine, CA

Hours per week spent on social media: 14 hours plus team support

Social media accounts: Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram

Target demographic: Real estate professionals

Average number of posts per day: One to three, depending on the channel

Which social channels do you work the most?

We host six Facebook groups in addition to a personal and business page, so I’d say that Facebook gets the bulk of our attention. YouTube would be a close second because videos are my main communication vehicle, then Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn tied for third.

How many friends, likes or followers do you have?

We just hit 60,000 Facebook likes, 29,600 Twitter followers, 841 Instagram followers and 1.5 million YouTube views.

Does that number matter to you?

The number that matters the most is engagement and referral traffic, but having more likes means that we are reaching a larger audience with our message. One of the questions I love to ask at speaking engagements is, “Who’s ever watched my videos?” When the hands go up, I feel like we’re winning.

Do you ever give it a break?

Consistency is key. Our fans and followers depend on us delivering good content consistently … I don’t want to disappointment them by going dark.

Does social help your business, and how?

Absolutely! The social channels make it easier to do business and allow me to connect with people in a casual way, whether it’s sharing a training video on YouTube, surveying clients or inviting people to an event. One of my favorite things to do is impromptu coaching while I’m on a plane or in an airport. It’s an awesome way to connect and give back.

What’s your goal for your favorite social channel?

Social channels are a great way to share my knowledge and experience with a mass audience. I’d love to be known as the thought leader in the real estate education space. Take YouTube, for example … if the channel had 100,000 subscribers, I’d essentially be reaching and connecting with 10 percent of our industry, which would be pretty cool.

What’s your strategy to achieve it?

Simple strategy: Deliver great content consistently; constantly be on the edge of sharing news and information; and don’t be afraid to be vulnerable.

Is it worth it, and why?

I’m passionate about helping real estate pros succeed in this competitive industry. If at the end of the day someone wants to attend one of my events or sign up for coaching because they love what I’m teaching, that’s awesome.

What’s your craziest social media-related story?

I don’t have enough time to share. This would take at least 10 new videos! :-)

What actions do you take that have gotten the most results?

1. A long-term commitment to create content and build a community.

2. I care. So I’ve continued to respond, answer questions, publicly and privately, and work hard to stay connected to our communities.

3. When I do events, I drive connection before, during and after.

4. I do interviews and guest appearances on podcasts, large and small.

Is this more about “social” or about business?

These are business tools. And we operate in a relationship-based business. So I guess it’s both. If the moment is right, I do share personal stuff, proud dad moments with my boys or a cool photo while traveling. And my community seems to enjoy these along with our training, strategy, mindset and money-making stuff.

How do you monitor the channels?

I’m constantly checking the sites from my mobile device … I’m always on the move.

Do you use software or apps to manage your account? Which ones?

TweetDeck and Hootsuite are great, but posting can decrease reach so we try to stay as natural as possible.

How many hours per day are you on social? Do you check it daily? Multiple times per day?

I have someone monitoring activity all day for several of our private groups, and of course our main channels, especially while I’m speaking, working with a client or on holiday with my family. Outside of that, I’m probably averaging two or more hours a day responding to clients and answering questions, and 30 minutes a day building and creating content.

Do you ever think of retiring?

Nope, I’m just getting started.

Do you consider yourself an influencer?

I have so much passion for this industry and helping others succeed. I’d be honored to be considered an influencer.

Are you social in real life?

I’d say so, yes.

What did you do with your time before?

We were building our business, and when social media hit, I jumped in. Prior to that, I did podcasts, hundreds of meetings and trainings, and wrote reports to get the word out. Social media has made all of this so much more effective!

How do you leverage your prominence or influence on social?

Creating and sharing all of the content on social media channels has increased awareness for our events and our coaching program and breakthrough by design program. It’s also generated private speaking engagements and meetings that perhaps we wouldn’t have normally gotten.

Do you have someone helping you?

In the beginning, it was all me. Create, record, no editing because I never learned how, and I posted the stuff. As a business matures, you can hire experts who up your game and make things better. So today, we have a team of people who help with the monitoring, video editing, analytics and that kind of thing.

Who do you follow? Why?

All the usual characters: all of the executives in the industry; their brand channels; NAR; a lot of financial services companies and leaders; all of the expected industry providers of great tools; the movers and shakers; all of our clients and those we want to work with; and a whole bunch more.

Where do you find the content that you put out?

I’m fortunate in that my company is made up of the smartest coaches and clients in the industry. They keep me on the pulse of trends, what’s working, what’s not, and what matters most.

What has been your all-time hit? Can you share a link to the post?

My Tuesday Training Videos do really well. One, in particular, that did garner a ton of engagement was the video I did when the news hit about Zillow merging with Trulia.

Are you a social media all-star who’d like to participate in our profile series? Email contributors@inman.com.